


Crushing

by nyeh413peasants



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Autistic Character, Childhood, Comfort, Digital Art, F/M, Gift Giving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 04:34:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11177136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyeh413peasants/pseuds/nyeh413peasants
Summary: Being a kid is hard. It's even harder when your brother keeps leaving you behind. Things get better, though, when the boy youmighthave a crush on helps you out.





	Crushing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NightPurity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightPurity/gifts).



> This was a commission. The art was done by [olli-lolli.tumblr.com](http://olli-lolli.tumblr.com/)

"Mattie, you said you would wait for me!" Pidge whined as her small legs carried her after her older brother and his friends.  The sound of giggling answered her as the boys ran faster, their bare feet sliding slightly on the slippery ground.

 She pumped her arms, breath visible in the cool air as she tried catching up.  However, it was no use.  Pidge was much too small, and she didn't have it in her to keep going after her brother and his friends.  As she stopped, her bottom lip poked out as tears filled her hazel eyes.  "I only wanted to play!" she yelled.

 Her eyes scanned the area around her.  She had followed the others far from home and didn't know her way back.  Matt had always been told to keep Pidge close due to wild animals, but he rarely listened to his mother’s advice.  So, Pidge found herself alone, feet sinking slightly in a puddle.  She rubbed her arm, heart beginning to thrum in her chest.  She'd been so focused on following Matt that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings and now she was lost.

 "Pidge?" a voice asked softly, causing her to jump a foot in the air, a scream ripping from her throat.

 She turned her head quickly, only to relax instantly when she caught sight of the person who had said her name: Keith.  He was only a year older than her and a year younger than Matt and the others.  Keith had been the only one to treat her fairly through the years.  He always waited for her and made sure she was okay.  Pidge always considered Keith a favorite because of that.

 "You don't have to be afraid," he said, holding a hand out toward the other.  "I'm here."

 Pidge sniffled, but smiled, placing one of her small hands in his larger one.  "Why do you always come back for me?" she asked.

 Keith tilted his head to the side slightly, confused by the question.  His eyebrows furrowed before he responded.  "I mean, I think I know, but...." he trailed off, a frustrated look replacing the confusion.

 She nodded, accepting that well enough. Pidge would have liked some sort of explanation, but knew Keith had a difficult time actually thinking of the words to say when it came to explaining how he felt. At least, she overheard Keith say as much to Hunk and Matt one day.

 "Are you gonna go after them?" she asked, deciding to change the subject, as Keith still looked confused.

 Keith shook his head. "No. Let me walk you home."

 Pidge nodded again, looking behind her and then back at Keith.  He moved to her side and grabbed her hand gently.

 "Why are you holding my hand?" she asked, looking down.   _His hand is warm, comfortable, soft… safe.  What am I feeling?_

 "To keep you safe and make sure you don't run off," he responded with a shrug. Without another word, he gently tugged her hand back toward their small village.

                                                                                                        

 ----

_Why is it that holding Pidge’s hand feels so… nice?  Is this what momma was telling me about?  A… crush?_ Keith stared ahead blankly, twirling a knife between his fingers.  He’d been thinking a lot about Pidge and how he’d felt while holding her hand.  There had been _something_ there, but he wasn’t sure what.   _Ask momma.  She’ll tell you._  But would she?  What if she told him something he wasn’t ready to hear?

 He hissed as the sharp blade sliced his finger, dropping it and holding his finger to his lips, sucking at the blood.  Keith was used to cutting himself with his blades.  Most of the time he didn't pay enough attention to what he was doing, especially while lost in thought.  Right then, thoughts of Pidge and how he felt about her were swirling, making it hard for him to focus on much of anything.

 Keith's mother poked her head into the room from the kitchen.  She was a sweet woman, tall, and almost an exact replica of Keith.  A lot of the people in the village told Keith he looked exactly like his mother. "Keith, dear, could you go out and get the laundry?  I'm fixing dinner," she said.  He noticed how red her face was.  She had a tendency of getting too close to the fire while she cooked.

 "Yeah, momma," he replied, picking his knife up off the wooden floor and leaving the cabin.  Asking her about Pidge and his feelings would be too strange.  He'd ask Hunk or Lance instead- anyone else, with the exception of Matt.  First, though, he needed to help his mother around the house.

 The sun shone brightly in the sky, though dark clouds loomed, threatening rain.  Keith didn't mind either way.  There were times the heat got to him, but more often than not he really wasn't affected.  Rain made the crops grow, though, so he preferred that over the sun, and so did many of the other farmers.

 Keith made his way over to the clothesline, grabbing one of the wicker baskets stacked by the house and setting it under the clothes.  He then began removing the shirts and pants from the lines, tossing them in the basket without folding them.

 "Hey, Keith," a familiar voice said, and he turned to face the source.  Matt and Pidge stood near the cabin.  Both smiled toward Keith and approached him.

 "What are you doing here?" Keith asked, tossing a shirt into the basket before grabbing his knife from his pocket and twirling it absent mindedly.

 Matt's hazel eyes fell toward Pidge.  "She wouldn't stop talking about you, so ma wanted me to bring her over.  You don't mind, do you?"

 Keith's eyebrows furrowed.   _Pidge… thinks about me?  I’m not alone!  But, wait, what does that mean?_

 "N- no.  I don't mind at all."

 

\----

 "Keith, um, I think we need to talk," Pidge said, her voice low and hands wringing together.   _It's scary, but you can do it.  Tell him how you feel._

 Keith looked up at her, worry etched on his face.  He put his thumb in his mouth, chewing at the nail as his other hand fiddled with his knife.  He was nervous, Pidge could tell.  If anything, it didn't make her feel any better.  She wanted both of them to be calm while giving the news, but it seemed like that it wouldn't be feasible.

 Pidge took a deep breath, deciding to just come out with it.  "I talked to my ma and I think I have a... _crushonyou_ ," she said quickly, probably too quickly.

 From the looks of it, Keith had understood what she said perfectly, as he froze, his face going red and eyes widening.  "You- what?" he asked, voice small.

 "I, um, have a crush on you.  At least, that's what ma said.  I told her how you made me feel," Pidge said, her own voice growing much less confident than it had seemed.   _Oh no.  H- he doesn't feel the same.  He's going to tell everyone.  And... make fun of me._

 Without another word, Pidge turned tail and ran.

 ----

 Keith stood in front of the Holt household, biting at his bottom lip with a small wooden figurine moving between his sweaty hands. He'd been thinking about Pidge and what she had told him for a week. It was time to do something about how he felt, but there weren't words to say- he couldn't.

  _Knock. Give her the gift._

 He looked down at the figurine, taking a deep breath and raising his fist to the door, knocking loudly. It didn't take long for Matt to answer, throwing the door open with a flourish and smiling widely when his hazel eyes landed on Keith. "Hi, Keith!" he exclaimed, moving aside for the other.

 "Hi," Keith responded, looking around. "Is Pidge here?" he asked before Matt could say anything else.

 "Uh, yeah? She's in our room. Wait, did you not come here to hang with me?" Matt asked.

 "I just need to talk to her."

 "Fine. You can talk to her, I'm going to hang out with Lance," Matt said, rolling his eyes and heading out.

 Keith rubbed the back of his neck, watching the front door before heading back to his and Pidge's room. When he reached the door, he knocked softly, standing outside until he heard a soft 'come in' from the other side. Keith did as he was told and opened the door.

 "Hi, Pidge. Um, I think we need to talk about something," he said, heart beginning to race. He reached into his back pocket, fingers trailing over the handle of his knife.

 Pidge's face went red when she realized it was Keith standing at the door, but she nodded. "O- okay."

 Keith's throat went dry, rendering him incapable of speaking. Instead of doing so, he held out the figurine, keeping his gaze to the floor. He could feel Pidge take the tiny wooden pigeon from him.

 "Did- did you make this for me, Keith?" a small voice quivered a moment later.

 Keith nodded in response and he slowly brought his eyes up, though didn't quite meet with Pidge's. "What do you think?" he asked.

 "I love it," she said quietly, setting the figurine next to her bed and wringing her hands together. The two then stood in silence, alone with their own thoughts.

  _Say something. Tell her you have a crush. The pigeon wasn't enough. Show her, show her, show her, sh-_ Keith shook his head quickly. He didn't know how to show her. He wasn't good at this kind of thing, but he had to find some way to really get it through to her that he felt the same.

 He tried thinking of everything he'd seen- the way people showed affection toward one another. It was different, something he'd never done, but things Matt, Lance, and Hunk talked about often. _Kissing_. His friends talked about it, parents did it. Without thinking too hard on it, Keith leaned forward, pressing his lips against Pidge's cheek and pulling back just as quickly, his face reddening.

 Pidge's eyes widened before a grin spread over her face, brightening her features. Keith had done it- he'd shown her. He smiled wide, although it dropped dropped in shock as Pidge gently pressed her lips to Keith’s cheek.  He could feel the blush rising.

 “Thank you,” she whispered, and that made it clear she felt the same.


End file.
